William e



(No Model.)

W. R. OLOUGH.

CAPSULE FOR BOTTLES. No. 332,382. Patented Dec. 15, 1885.

WITNESSES: IIVVENTOR W WW QM B ATTOM'EY N4 PETERS PhmwLilhognpher.Washiflgmn. D. C.

MIIM' UNITED STATES PATENT EEicE.

\VILLIAM R. OLOUGH, OF BROOKLYN, NEIV YORK.

CAPSULE FO R BOTTLES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 382,382, dated December15, 1885.

Application filed September 1, 1885. Serial No. 175,885. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM R. CLOUGH, a citizen of the United States,and a resident of Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of NewYork, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Capsules forBottles, of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates to improvements in capsules for bottle-stoppers;and it consists in a novel construction closely encompassing the cork orstopper at or near the top when in use and projecting therefrom to forma means whereby the cork may be withdrawn from the bottle by handwithout additional appliances. The center of the capsule is removed,forming an opening corresponding with the contour of and slightlysmaller than the full or expanded cork, and around this central openingis provided a dependent flange or teeth or similar devices,which firmlybinds the cork after it has been driven through the opening and preventsthe same from having any independent movement. The said dependentflange, teeth, or similar devices will, preferably, when in use projectdownward into the neck of the bottle a short distance, and the centralopening in the top of the capsule will leave the upper surface of thecork exposed, permitting thereby, if found necessary or desirable, theuse of a corkscrew for extracting the cork and affording a surface forthe application of a wax or other seal, label, or cap, of paper, metal,or other material, bearing, if desired, a trade-mark or matterindicative of the contents of the bottle in connection with which thecapsule may be employed. The capsule will be manufactured from materialsufficiently stiff to prevent its being broken by the expansive actionof the cork when driven into it,and to permit the withdrawal of the corkby pressure applied to its upper projecting edges. It is desirable thatthe dependent flange surrounding the opening in the capsule shall enterthe mouth of the bottle and be provided with teeth more or lessflexible, in order that the expansive action of the cork against saidteeth and the inner walls of said mouth may serve to more firmly unitethe cork with the capsule. One material advantage of providing the abovedependent flange with a flexible circumference is that it may be fittedto bottle-1nouths of varying sizes, although it is not to be understoodthat it is absolutely essential in all cases to the correct working ofthe device that said dependent flange should enter the mouth of thebottle at all, nor that the said flange should be flexible.

In the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this application, Iillustrate two embodiments of the invention, from which its practicalapplication to the cork, according to the nature of the bottle and itscontents, will be readily understood.

Figure 1 is a central vertical section of one form of capsuleconstructed according to the invention. Fig. 2 is a similar View of sameencompassing a cork,and showing the relative positions of the capsuleand cork when in use.

Fig. 3 is side elevation of a modified form of the capsule, the corkbeing shown by dotted lines; and Fig. 4 is a central vertical section ofsame, the cork being omitted. Fig. 5 is a view of various forms of teethwhich may be substituted for the teeth shown in Fig. 1.

In the drawings, A denotes the capsule, and B the cork or stopper. Thecapsule consists of the dependent flange a and the flange b, projectingtherefrom, the outer edges, 0, of the latter being utilized to form aring or surface by which the capsule and cork may be handled between thefinger and thumb. The edges 0 of the capsule willbe of such proportionsthat the capsule may be conveniently handled by it; but its exactdimensions, and whether they are turned upward or downward, as shown,orleft flat, are matters which will be governed largely by the taste ofthe manufacturer. I prefer, however, to give the edges 0 the form of amilled or corrugated flange, whereby the appearance of the capsule willbe improved and a suitable handling surface afforded. Between theflanged edges 0 and the flange a is formed the annular space (1, intowhich the upper edges of the neck of the bottle may pass; and around theupper edges of the flange a (shown in Fig. 1) is formed the annularshoulder 0, over which the upper edges of the cork expand, as indicatedin Fig. 2, and thereby oppose the separation of the cork and capsuleafterward applied to the bottle.

when the latter is drawn upward from the bottom for the purpose ofextracting the cork therefrom.

In the use of the invention the capsule may be placed over the neck ofthe bottle, the flange apreferably extending downward into the mouththereof, and the cork is driven through the central opening, f,into thecapsule and neck of the bottle at a single operation, the capsuleresting flat onthetop of the bottle. In this condition the expansiveaction of the cork will cause it to bind firmly against the flange a andthe inner wall of the neck of the bottle below said flange, whereby thebottle will not only be securely sealed, but the cork and capsule willbe firmly united. The capsule and cork may, however, be first connectedby the latter being inserted into the former, and The cork may beextracted, as will be understood from the foregoing description,byturning or pulling or pressing upward on the edges 0 of the capsule, or,the upper end of the cork being exposed, an ordinary corkscrew may beutilized for this purpose, if desired. The upper exposed end of the corkalso affords a surface whereon a paper or metal label may'be attached,if desired. A metal label or other device, as hereinbefore described,could easily be applied over the cork. It will not be necessary in allinstances to employ the shoulder 6; but I recommend its use,owing to thefact that it facilitates the firm union of thecapsule and cork. In orderto insure the rigid attachment of the cork and capsule to each other,the dependent flange a, in-

' stead of being plain, as may be the case, if

preferred, may be serratedor toothed, as shown in Fig. 1, or be providedwith other means of engaging the corkas depressions, elevations,apertures, or slots,as shown in Figs. 3 and 4- the purpose of theengaging means being, during the expansion of the cork, to bind thelatter and prevent its turning within the cap sule or becoming detachedtherefrom. After the cork has been driven through the capsule, it willexpand into the spaces between the teeth 6, or into the apertures m orelevations n, or on each side of the depressions t, or into the slotsto, and bind itself into position, so that when the capsule is turned ordrawn from the bottle the cork will necessarily follow it. If the teethor other means were not provided, the opening f could be of such size asto securely hold the cork in ordinary cases; but when the engaging meansare made use of the rigid union of the capsule and the cork is insured.If the cork, when driven through the opening f into the neck of thebottle, should protrude upward therefrom, being too long for the bottle,its projecting end may be removed, if desired, by a knife moving on alevel with the upper surface of the capsule.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A capsule and cork, the former firmly encompassing the latter at ornear the top and having a flange projecting therefrom, the upper end ofthe cork being exposed, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

2. A capsule and cork, the former firmly encompassing the latter at ornear the top and having a shoulder over which the adjacent portions ofthe cork may expand, and a flange projecting therefrom, the upper end ofthe cork being exposed-substantially as and for the purposes set forth.v

3. A capsule and cork, the former being open at the center to receivethe cork and having a flange projecting therefrom, and engaging devicesto insure the firm union of the cork and capsule, substantially as setforth.

4. A capsule and cork consisting of the dependent flange a, closelyencompassing and binding the cork, and the projecting flange b, .theouter edges of which form surfaces enabling the capsule and cork to behandled, the top of the latter being exposed, substantially as and forthe purposes set forth.

5. A capsule and cork consisting of the dependent flange at, havingengaging devices closely encompassing and binding the cork, and providedwith the projecting-flange b, the outer edges of which formhandling-surfaces, substantially as set forth.

6. A capsule for corks, consisting of the dependent toothed flange an,adapted to closely encompass and engage the cork, and the projectingflange b, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

7. A capsule and cork, the former having engaging devices which firmlybind the latter at or near the top, and having, also, a-flange extendingfrom said devices, the top of the cork being exposed, substantially asset forth.

- Signed at New York, in the county of New York and State of New York,this 31st day of August, A. D. 1885.

WILLIAM R. GLOUGH.

Witnesses:

CHAS. O. GILL,

GEO. A. BOWMAN.

